The Church of God 7th Day observes and practices the divine scriptures as contained in the Holy book. This article will give an account of how the Church Of God Seventh-day in Texas was born. The church in Texas was established following the missionary work initiated by Andrew N. Dugger, through his sending of Elder Shoemaker in 1970. We received the true gospel of the Kingdom from Jerusalem as indicated in Isaiah 2:2,3.
Elder Shoemaker sowed the seeds about the true gospel from Jerusalem, and by Elohim's faithfulness, the seeds germinated and grew impressively. Following his coming, about 300 followers came to know the light and were baptized. Being young and tender, the parent church in Jerusalem Israel nourished our newly born church, until she stood on her own feet. The parent church continued to send: Bible lessons, Tracts, Calendars, Judah Magazines.
The faith was and is still founded on the teaching of the Prophets, Apostles, and Yahshua Messiah being the cornerstone as recorded in Ephesians 2:19-20. In line with this, we hold the 10 commandments since we know that as noted in James 2:10-11 there is only one Lord who issued the Ten Commandments. We also believe that Yahshua did not come to change the law and the prophets but rather, He came to fulfill them. Therefore, all believers must keep the 10 Commandments as it is the only way to the glorious city, the New Jerusalem, which will come down from heaven according to Rev. 22:14.
We learned how to keep feasts of the Lord as instructed in the Bible including everything else that concerned church administration. The 7 (seven) feasts as recorded in Leviticus 23:1 are scripturally directed by God and were meant for all mankind. God has provided them as a way and a good plan for mankind's salvation. These feasts are relevant and still hold in the New Covenant as apostles did under the New Covenant as explained in 1 Cor.16:8, and Acts 20:5.
Through unity and clear knowledge of sound doctrines, it was easier to take the message to almost all corners of Texas. We continue to preach through Bible tracts, and organize open-air meetings. Some of the believers made self-sacrifices by trekking long distances and facing many other challenges, with the only motivation being the urge to proclaim the message of the coming Kingdom of our Messiah to those who are perishing.
When Yahshua was leaving His disciples, He promised not to leave them as orphans but rather send them a helper as recorded in Joel 2: 28 and Acts 2:17-18. Following this promise and gift to the church, there is a manifestation of these gifts through visions, dreams, and speaking in tongues. Elohim has all along manifested himself in our midst as we continue to witness great miracles happening in our favor. Through these efforts, many church branches were opened in various districts, towns, and villages. The church has continued to grow in size and has established branches across the republic and out of the borders.
